The Comeback of Dry Kibble

Let’s state the obvious here: we make dry kibble. We’ll admit that as pet parents we’ve tried everything under the sun - feeding our dogs fresh, raw, gluten-free, freeze-dried dog food, you name it. These trendy diets are becoming increasingly popular and can often come with a hefty price tag to match. While they boast amazing health benefits and prove fit for some households, the consensus is that they are not an accessible solution for all dogs. Even with all of the new feeding options for pups, it seems dry kibble is still among the best holistic dog food on the shelves today.

Safe dog food we can afford

In the wake of so many new options, why are more pet parents returning to kibble? For starters, dry kibble is the most widely accessible and affordable dog food that exists today. This is partly due to its preservation and long shelf-life. Hard dog food made having a pet accessible for those without access to fresh ingredients or spare time to prep homemade meals. This is also why fresh delivery subscriptions are now popping up all over the place. While they definitely have the same convenience factor, the novelty of fresh food is in an entirely different ball game when it comes to price. It’s important to remember that pets and status have always been intertwined, and as such, there is still a hierarchy of pet food and companies that target the wealthiest of dog owners. In the 1800’s, commercially manufactured dog food was a game changer, and meant that not only the luxurious could have dogs as pets. “The history of dog food truly took a drastic turn in the mid-1800s when the Industrial Revolution created a growing middle class. These ‘new rich’ loved luxury and had more leisure time, often treating dogs as ‘luxury items’ and ‘status symbols’. As a result of this, a trend towards more scrutiny of pet food began.” (Cellania, 2013) For many pet parents, dry kibble remains the go-to today because it fits our lifestyle, and feeds our pups without breaking the bank.

The best holistic dog food

In addition to being the most accessible, dog parents are returning to dry kibble because it is widely understood from a nutritional perspective. In our last post(link), we talked about the history of kibble and its journey into every household with a pet. Hard dog food has got a bad rap in recent years, but upwards of 80% of dogs eat kibble today. This isn’t shocking since we know pet parents are looking to sources they can trust for safe dog food, and kibble is the most science-backed. While select dog food products in the past have been known to cause harm, there have also been great lengths taken to ensure more ethical and humane practices are in tact. Thanks to the many years of extensive research, pet parents can trust the science behind dry kibble as a complete & balanced meal. Even though some of the newer feeding options like raw or freeze-dried dog food seem exciting upon first glance, they require pet parents to weigh new risks.

The hidden benefits of easy-to-store hard dog food

For some of the newer fresh subscription-models, one of the downfalls is the large amount of plastic waste that accompanies them. Pet parents value sustainable packaging, and although there are companies doing their best to tackle this, excess plastic doesn’t exactly align with their values. For many pet parents, this is reason alone to stick to dry kibble. Climate change is of growing concern and even if a company can make safe dog food, it will not be sustainable long-term if it creates mounds of extra trash that has to be specially disposed of. In addition, hard dog food takes less storage for apartment pals, and means you get to keep that prime real estate in your fridge and freezer. Believe it or not, the production and packaging of dry kibble produces less waste all-around for both consumers and companies.

The newest craze for health-conscious dog food has turned, dare we say, elitist. Don’t get us wrong - we are no strangers to the desire of wanting to give our dogs the very best out there. But we have learned to take a wider look at the myriad of their needs, instead of hyperfocusing on premium nutrition at the expense of everything else. Contrary to the viral videos of dogs sticking their nose up at their food, dry kibble is still a fan favorite. Hard dog food is still among the best holistic dog food for it’s convenience, affordability, and nutritional completeness. In our next post we’ll take an honest look at our feeding philosophy, and answer the question: why kibble? Stay tuned!